Spirit of the Future
by late-stranger
Summary: Xenophilius and Adeline are searching for Nargals by the Forest during their last year of Hogwarts, and find a surprisingly familiar spirit looking for them. Their daughter. Oneshot.


_**Spirit of the Future**_

Xenophilius Lovegood was content. He was walking along the forests' edge, looking for Nargles and Wrackspurts, with his girlfriend, the dreamy, absent –minded Adeline, who believed in him. That was why they had originally met- they had been both fishing for Pimplies, though hopelessly, in the lake. No one else ever took them seriously. The other students, even fellow Ravenclaws, called them names. He was "Zany Xeno" and "Looney Lovegood", while she was "Addled Addy". They didn't mind, though. It was irrelevant to their combined search for all sorts of supposedly mythical and secretive creatures like the current search-ees, Nargles and Wrackspurts. However, the two had not found any in their previous walks along the same stretch of forest, and had no reason to hope that would change, yet something drew them back to this stretch of forest. Mostly, they just talked about the future they had to be planning, and careers. Adeline wanted to go into experimental charms in the Ministry or a job as a journalist, but Xenophilius had only one ambition; he wanted to start a magazine - The Quibbler, he had already named it- that would report all of the undercover dirty secrets the Ministry had, and bring the oft forgotten creatures few cared about, like Crumple- Horned Snorkaks and the like, to the front page. He had already designed the lay out, and planned to start as soon as he finished school, in a couple of months.

But this time, they had simply strolled, silently, along the forest edge. This was one of those days that seemed too perfect to disturb by speech, petty speech that could be postponed until the glorius time had past. They simply held hands, enjoying the warm breeze, the gentle sunshine, and the swaying trees. No one else was this far away from the school- many of their classmates were studying for the upcoming NEWTs, and other students were swimming in the lake or studying.

Yet, they could both feel a presence, coming toward them. Neither were scared; anything super- natural or invisible and this presence was probably both worried them, for did they not spend every spare moment searching for these very beings? Once the couple had reached the peak of a low hill, they could see the presence. It was a girl, a girl with Adeline's fair, wispy hair and button nose, and Xenophilius' wide blue eyes and narrow shoulders. When she, who also appeared to be searching for Wrackspurts, noticed them, her face split into a huge, genuine smile, nothing like the patronizing looks they received from teachers and students alike.

She ran forward to meet them, calling "Mum! Daddy!" She reached them, stopping breathless in front of them crying tears of joy now, and saying "Mum! Daddy! It's me! It's Luna!"

Adeline looked at her boyfriend. "Luna is what I wanted to name our first daughter." She said faintly. The girl looked confused.

"I am your daughter!" she exclaimed. "You're my parents. Daddy runs his magazine, The Quibbler, and I help him. We're going to look for Crumple- Horned Snorkaks in Sweden this summer!"

"What do I do, sweetie?" asked Adeline, worried.

The girl's – Luna's face fell. "You died." She said quietly. "You worked in experimental charms. Then the Death Eaters came. They wanted you to work for them- to discover new curses for them. You refused, like anyone would. There weren't a lot of them. Voldemort was already gone, but it was Lucius Malfoy, and a couple of the smoother talking ones. He killed you, when you refused. Daddy and I were fishing in the stream near our house. We were fishing for Pimplies, and he was telling me about when you and he used to search for Wrackspurts and Nargles and Pimplies at Hogwarts. We heard a yell, and ran back. We thought you had accidentally done something that hurt you. We found Lucius Malfoy and a few others, masked, standing over you. He told we'd all meet the same fate if we breathed a word, so we told everyone it was a charm that went wrong." She was crying again, but not with happiness at seeing her parents together again. "I'm sorry, Mum."

Adeline looked sad, but not scared. This was a common expression, for her. She used it when ever a bully of any house threatened her. "Those who love us never truly leave us, Luna. They are right here, in your heart." She laid her hand on her daughter's chest, but it passed right through. Disconcerted, she continued hesitantly "This Voldemort- who is he? Was he?"

Through her tears, Luna spoke again: "He was a Dark Wizard- a horrible person. He made Horcruxes- that's when you split your soul through murder and put a bit of it in an object. He had 6- and every one of them had to be destroyed before he could really die. He was defeated by a little baby in 1981- Harry Potter. Before that he and his followers –Death Eaters - had killed hundreds of wizards and muggles including Harry's parents. He believed in wizard and pureblood supremacy. Then he came back, when Harry was fourteen. Harry was the only one who could defeat him- there was a prophesy- and he did, with the help of his friends, including me, at seventeen. But the casualties were horrendous- thousands died."

"They won't believe us, you know. We can try to warn them, but no one believes the believers. They never believe, but the Lovegoods always seem to be right, in the end, don't they?"

"They just discovered a live Crumple- Horned Snorkak in Sweden. I kept telling them, but they never listened, and then a completely different explorer found one, and captured it. They publicly apologized. It was very funny. I had to give a speech. I told everyone how I believed in myself and my beliefs, even when everyone laughed at me. I said to always stay true to yourself, because those who matter don't mind, and those who mind don't matter. A/N: That was a Dr. Seuss" Luna shared a brief chuckle with her mother.

Xenophilius still hadn't spoken. "Luna?" he asked suddenly, as though afraid that he wouldn't be able to speak again if he didn't now. "Am I a good father? Do I provide for you, with The Quibbler? Do I succeed?"

She smiled weakly "Yes Daddy. You're amazing. I couldn't wish for a better father." She was still crying, but it only made her smile seem more beautiful, he words more touching. But she was also fading away, slowly, from sight.

"I have to go now." She stated quietly "I love you both, but my time here has run out. I must return to my own world, my own time. I love you." She whispered again as she finally disappeared. Her last words, however quiet, seemed to echo around the couple, who stood in silence, watching the spot where their daughter's spirit had been, just a moment ago. How long they stood there, no one knew, for they were alone, as they liked to be.

The light faded from the sky, as Luna's spirit had faded from their time, and Xenophilius and Adeline turned to walk back to Hogwarts- back to the real world of tests, classes and bustling halls filled with students who would probably never have such an encounter with a being of the nature they had, a being of a different time.

The search at the edge of the forest was complete.


End file.
